Chapter 9: Take a look at me now
The smirks that NK, Aman and Aakash sent his way took him off guard. He was at a complete loss for words.
"Why does it matter to you?" He blurted out absentmindedly, much to his chagrin at their widening smiles.
"Oooh so he does like her!"
"I'm not surprised. I thought he was going to strangle me in the lift today."
"Anjali Di has got to hear about this.."
As the men continued to tease him further, Arnav, being unused to this level of teasing and ribbing felt flustered and left to his room not without retorting, "Just clean up the microwave". The last thing he heard as the door shut close was the raucous laughter and wolf-whistles coming from the kitchen.
~*~
A week came and went, leaving the Shantivan residents in a flurry. Lavanya Shah, aspiring interior designer extraordinaire had walked into the eye of the storm. At first, when she moved in, Lavanya believed all to be hunky dory, with her housemates' smiling faces and warm company not giving away any sign of the maelstrom that was brewing behind the scenes. However, despite their best attempts to hide it, Lavanya was as sharp as she was beautiful and it didn't take very long for her to find out about Payal's unfortunate car park disaster and Khushi's apparent unease.
"What!" she had screeched as the two women cringed in fear. "Aakash ran you over???"
"No, no. He almost did.."
"Oh, he almost did. ALMOST. Well that's a relief isn't it?" came her snarky reply. "No wonder the man wears glasses. Can he not see? What an idiot. And you just let him get away with it?"
Khushi's reddening visage did not escape her notice.
"What is it, Chamkili? fess up now and I mean it!"
Payal interjected. "Khushi tried to help.."
"I messed up big time! Poor Payal had to drop the issue.."
"No, no! Khushi screamed at them in my defense. I told her it was a Mr. Raizada' so she didn't know.."
"..incase Arnav wanted to press charges against me."
"...Aakash arrived that day and so there was some confusion."
Lavanya's bedecked wrists held up in protest, and all chatter ceased in an instant. She turned to Khushi, her eyebrows raised.
"..well, did he?"
Khushi went absolutely quiet and refused to look at Lavanya in the eye. Payal also looked at her in confusion. She never did find out if things were resolved between the good neighbours.
"I apologized. He said okay." Came Khushi's hesitant reply.
The two girls let out a sigh of relief. "So, that means I do not have to bite anyone's head off when I see them at the lobby?" Lavanya joked dryly, leaving the two girls to laugh awkwardly in response.
"Aakash has been apologizing and accommodating as much as he can. It's forgotten." Payal smiled lightly, leaving Lavanya to scoff lightly.
"That was the only decent thing left to do, after he almost killed you. You should have made him pay."
"He offered. It's what blew up the whole situation.."
"Okay, okay. Got it. So from what I see, Aakash is the screw-up. How are Arnav and NK like? Khushi?"
Khushi wanted the ground to swallow her up. Arnav and NK? Where to begin?
"Arnav and NK are lovely people. T.t..they are the best neighbours you can get. Very friendly. Yeah."
"Are they brothers?"
"Hain? Nahin. They.." Khushi hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "They are mates."
"Oh, that's nice." Lavanya smiled. "Just like us. How sweet."
Khushi could only nod quietly in response.
"Well, I haven't met them. But Payal tells me you work for them now. Is that right?"
"Interning. I'm interning at their company."
"Any preferential treatment?" winked Lavanya, teasing her as Payal giggled along. Khushi inwardly groaned. The girls couldn't get it more wrong. If only they knew how off the mark they were. Nothing was straight-forward about this at all.
"Didn't Khushi tell you? She gets lifts to the office and back from Arnav every day now." She nudged Khushi playfully.
"It's not like that and you know it!" snapped Khushi as she gave Payal the stink-eye and glared at her for good measure. But that didn't stop Payal.
"You know Lavanya, Khushi never tells me about her trips to the office. She is very secretive."
"Kya? What secretive? There are no secrets at all! Our rides are so boring. All we talk is about our work. Why would I want to bore you with those details? You know he is my boss right?" Khushi spoke on her feet, her consciousness applauding her for her quick thinking as it wiped its brow dry.
Lavanya shared an amused smirk with Payal before quipping, "Sure Chamkili. You have been sharing car rides with him for over a week, I'm sure all you talked about was work. But let's be fair Payal, maybe she isn't interested in Arnav. Maybe she is interested in NK?"
"NK is also very handsome. Now that she works for both of them, I wouldn't be surprised."
The amount of winks and smirks Lavanya and Payal were sending her way was absolutely disgusting, Khushi thought as she despaired at the quandary she found herself in.
"Not a chance", she found herself saying out loud.
"Come on Khushi. You don't know that. Kuch kuch hota hai you know?" Payal chirped in, much to Khushi's annoyance. If only Payal knew that kuch kuch hota hai' had taken on a very different meaning for her.
"Trust me when I say this ladies..I am not their type." She stood up and walked to the kitchen.
"Now, does anyone want any jalebis?"
~*~
"Anjali bitiya, where are you going off so soon?", Nani's voice floated into the room from the hallway, startling her in the process.
"Just meeting a client Nani," smiled Anjali at her reflection, as she saw Nani come into view.
"Client? I thought you never had to travel to meet your clients. They usually come to the gallery instead."
Nani is such a sharp woman. There is no question which gene pool Arnav got his intelligence from, the thought passed fleetingly in her head as she put the finishing touches on her mascara. Pity the two of them have used it for warfare instead.
"Ji Nani, but this is a client whom I've been collaborating with for a long time. A meeting was long overdue."
"I see", said the old woman, not before chuckling softly. "A special client requires special handling I suppose?"
"Exact.." Anjali caught herself before taking notice of the smirk that graced her Nani's weathered face.
"You look beautiful bitiya" was all she said as she passed a cheeky, meaningful look at her only granddaughter before walking out.
Anjali shoulders slumped in slight annoyance. Clearly she hadn't been giving her grandmother the credit she deserved.
Adjusting the pallu of her sari, she checked her reflection one last time before grabbing her purse to go. Anjali was dressed to impress and she was pulling all stops. This was one client she had to sweep off his feet.
~*~
Since when does this Rakshas smile so much? I would like to know that too!,' grumbled Khushi in her inner monologue as she overheard the babble of gossip of the staff while waiting in the elevator lobby. She couldn't help but pick up on the similar sentiments being passed around in the office in the past fortnight she had been at AR regarding the vast improvements made to their boss's behaviour. Many even dubbed him ASR v2.0. And she could see why. Arnav had been detached, clinical almost, in the way he handled his staff and duties in the office. However in his interactions with her, it was almost a complete 180 degrees flip. He was everything he wasn't in the office - in other words, light-hearted, friendly and open. She had even caught him winking at her from across the office space when she ran out to grab the photocopies. No one saw it of course. Not that she was worried. She knew exactly where she stood with Arnav, and that was at the far end of the attraction spectrum as she could possibly be. It did not sting as much as it did before, because really (as Khushi reasoned) how could she be upset by something beyond someone's control? It would be height of stupidity. And childishness.
Oh well, she sighed. At least he's chosen a handsome and fantastic partner.
The doors chime open at that point in time as Khushi contemplated on her neighbour's impossibly friendly and flirty nature. Shaking her head to herself, she walked right into a broad chest housed in fine Italian threads.
Snapping her head up, Khushi felt herself drown into those familiar honeyed brown eyes again. This time though, a small grin lifted the ends of her lips as she made a quick quip, "Since when did you start auditioning for the role of the Hulk?"
Arnav's eyes twinkled in response. "Ever since you decided to embody Sanka Devi."
Remembering that she was still in the office and not in his car, she decided to save the banter for the trip home and catch the lift before it went down. Nodding absentmindedly, Khushi made her way to the lift.
But the Hulk wouldn't budge.
Khushi stared aghast as the lift doors closed behind him and glared at the man in front of her. Said man was grinning like a child in a candy store.
"What the-!"
"Looks like you've been spending too much time with me. Stealing my catchphrases I see."
"You..you..Laad Governer! See what you have done? You made me miss my lift!"
"So? Catch the next one."
"You think it's so easy? That's a 5 minute delay, which means I only have 20 minutes left till my lunch break is over."
Arnav couldn't help but laugh at her rant.
"Does this have something to do with jalebis?"
"Of course it does! That place is 2 blocks away from here! You're such a..such a..." Khushi struggled to find the words, mindful to keep her voice low as she did not want anyone from the office to overhear the absurdity of their discussion.
"A Laad Governer?" he added helpfully.
Devi Maiyaa knew how lucky Arnav was at that moment as the lift chimed open. Khushi was ready to vaporise him with her withering stare which he would have experienced in its full intensity had it not been for the sound of the bell.
"I'll see you later." He called after her as Khushi entered the empty lift; giving him the royal ignore. Laughing as the doors closed, Arnav made his way to the office to reflect on the craziness that was Khushi.
But before he could do so, he was stopped by what he would describe as a big, ugly smugface' that belonged to no one other than Aman Malhotra.
"What's up loverboy?"
The number of heads that turned around at that comment was instantaneous. Looking properly chastened by his slip, Aman knew that if looks could kill he would be buried under the ground right now.
"My office, Aman."
And that was his death knell.
~*~
"Hey, Loser. Stop disturbing me."
"Who are you calling a loser? I'm the one who's too cool for school. You on the other hand... ;-)"
"Ha-ha, very funny. A university isn't a school', Aakash. Clearly your glasses make you look more intelligent than you really are."
"Ouch. Not cool. Someone is being really grumpy today."
"Well, you keep interrupting me at work. Some people have a job to do. Not that you would understand."
"My single mission in life is to annoy you, Payalia."
"Then you are doing an amazing job at it >:-("
"I love it when you are angry."
":-O"
";-)"
"Go and disturb one of your office girls. It's bad enough you disturb me in the mornings, do you have to pester me throughout the day too?"
"Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out, eh?"
"Omg. Kill me."
"No, no! If you die, who else can I annoy? >:-)"
"You can start with one of your office folks...please?"
"They don't do it for me."
"All you need is another human being Aakash. I'm sure you'll have no trouble annoying the hell out of them. It's your super power."
"But they aren't as cute as you."
"*gasp* Take that back."
"Make me B-)"
"That's it. You're on my blacklist."
"Oooh."
"Such a shitface."
"You said the s' word :-("
"I can also say the f' word if you push it."
"Such a lady."
"Now we understand each other."
"Wet blanket."
"Strike 1"
"Sexy beast."
"Strike 2"
"Okay, okay! I take it all back! I'm a shitface."
"Redeemed."
"Whew! That was close. Just a matter of interest... how many strikes till I'm out?"
"Wanna find out?"
"No, no. That's okay!"
"I'm glad you see it my way"
"So when you finish, call me maybe?"
"Thanks Aakash, but I'll be putting in the hours tonight. You better head back when you are done."
"Paagalji, I work around the corner. Stop being difficult and call me."
"Was it your mission in life to be this obstinate?"
":-)"
"Okay fine. Thank you."
"That's alright milady. Talk to you soon."
"I've got everything I need, Maa."
Manorama Bond quickly slipped the iPhone back into the laptop bag as her son made his way into the living room. Perusing a couple of files in one hand, Aakash did not notice his mother's changed countenance as he swooped down to kiss her powdered cheek.
"I'm off now. Thanks for the chai. I have to get these files to the office pronto."
"No problems beta. You dhribes safes!"
Once her son had driven out of sight, Manorama knew that the inbestigashon was on. Who was this Payalia' that her son had taken a shine to? And what was the nature of their relationship? Manorama was a woman of the world. She knew international languages like English' very well. However the messages exchanged between Payalia' and her son confused her greatly. Knowing she had to seek external assistance, Manorama Bond turned to her trusted sidekick.
Google.
~*~
"Mr. Shah, there is someone here to see you."
"Who is it Maree?"
"A Ms. Anjali Raizada, Sir."
Stunned eyes shot up from the computer screen and flitted to the phone as the disembodied voice of Maree continued.
"Sir, should I send her in?"
Staring unblinkingly at the phone, Shyam found himself at a loss for words. It was as if every conceivable thought turned to static and impaired any capacity for rationale thinking.
It was the perfect checkmate.
He was not deluded. He knew there have been undercurrents of attraction between Anjali and himself. He did not want to encourage her, knowing the looks of disgust and disappointment that were sure to follow if she saw him. Like they always did. People eventually learnt how to mask their revulsion with pity and misplaced compassion, but Shyam would not stand for it anymore. Not with Anjali, the only person left who had not had the chance to judge him yet. He was sick of the masks. He craved genuine relationships. And what he shared with Anjali in their professional reality remained straightforward and true. There was no posturing, no acting. No special treatment. He was regarded like any other person.
But now she was here. She had finally cornered him into meeting her. And he had nowhere to hide.
"Sir?"
A bead of sweat made its way down the side of his face as he cleared his throat hastily in reply.
"Yes, send her in."
Heart in his throat, Shyam couldn't recall ever being so nervous before. As he heard the footfalls come closer and closer, he remained rooted in his seat, praying for the courage and strength to deal with the situation at hand. With an air of resignation, he told himself that dejection was a familiar friend. He had faced it before, and if he must, he'll just have to face it again.
Readying himself for the unpleasantness that would follow, Shyam gazed at the oak door until he heard a soft knock on his door.
"Come in" he said, as he stood in anticipation.
It was as if the world had plunged into slow-motion. He first noticed a shiny, black peep-toed heel emerge from behind the door. The floaty material of a classically understated black-coloured sari came next into view as dainty, fair hands held the door open. A waft of sandalwood with underlying notes of vanilla hit his olfactory nerves and overwhelmed his senses. Bedazzled by the sensation, Shyam was woefully and inadequately prepared for the sight that was about to appear.
Which explained why he was left gaping with shock when he finally saw her face.
"Y..you..." was all he could articulate.
"Hello Mr. Shah, how are you?" Anjali smiled brightly, with an affected air of sophistication and charm.
How are you? What is the right answer to that? Pondered Shyam as he scrambled to gather his thoughts.
"I believe we've met before Ms. Raizada?" He blurted out, taking in her features as he tried to place where he'd seen her.
"Indeed we have", she smiled warmly, her pleasant disposition giving nothing away.
She strode closer to his ebony desk, her hips swaying as her hair fluttered gently in the cold AC air that hit her face. Standing in front of him with a twinkle in her eye, she offered her hand in introduction.
"You were my knight in shining armor not too long ago. I believe I never thanked you for that." She couldn't tell him she was at a loss for words when she saw him after recognizing his voice and who he was. Too early, too soon.
"Oh. Yes, I remember you! You were that lady trapped in the lift at Shantivan Apartments! Again, I sincerely apologise for that mishap." Shyam shook her hand as his business demeanor took over by default. He was knocked for the six, never realising that all this time he had already met her. And that she already knew who he was.
He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"Please take a seat" he waved casually to the arm chairs as he sat down in his seat. Anjali shook her shiny, glossy head in polite laughter as she brushed away his apology with her hand.
"It happens, Mr. Shah. In some way I'm glad it did, otherwise how would I have met you in person?"
Is she flirting with me?
"...after all, Mr. Shyam Shah, you're a hard man to catch." Her wink was hard to miss.
Shyam did not know that it was possible for grown men to blush till that very moment. It wasn't everyday an attractive, young woman rocked up and flirted with him. He thought he saw a victorious gleam flash fleetingly in her eyes but before he could register the moment, it was gone.
"I apologise Ms. Raizada, but as it is I'm hardly at the office. You have chosen an opportune time to drop by indeed."
"Sorry. Were you in the middle of something important?"
Realising how tactless he sounded, Shyam hurriedly replied, "No, no, not at all! In fact it is about lunch time so I'm absolutely free at the moment."
"Perfect! How about we grab a coffee while we talk? I know a lovely caf around the corner."
~*~
"Hey Khushi, wait up!"
Khushi stiffened. She tried so hard to sneak away as she always did but this time she wasn't lucky.
"Going home so late?"
Taking a deep breath and sending a quick prayer to Devi Maiya for giving her the patience, Khushi spun around with her face carefully blank and a neutral expression in place.
"Yes, I need to make a move now..."
"Let me accompany you out?"
"That won't be necessary." Khushi tried to edge away but there wasn't much she could do. They were waiting for the lift and she had nowhere to run.
"I insist."
"I can't. I have to rush off. I'll see you next week, Tripathi..."
"What did I say about calling me Tripathi? It's Anil." His greasy smile and leery gaze swept her frame. Khushi could feel her skin crawl. Why couldn't the lift come any faster?
"How about I give you a lift? I have my Mercedez-Benz in the car park..."
"No thanks, I'm good."
"Please allow me to. It's dark, and I'd feel much better knowing you've gotten to your destination safe..."
" I..."
"I believe the lady said no."
A look of severe irritation came over Anil Tripathi's face as he spun around to tell off the intruder to f*ck off' but before the words could leave his lips, his voice died in his throat and the blood drained from his face.
Arnav Singh Raizada, CEO of AR Corp and Business Leader winner of 2011 and 2012 stood there large and imposing in his stature sporting a sharp black three-piece suit.
And a death glare.
Swallowing his nervousness, Tripathi could only stammer out an of course' and move out of the way as the lift chimed open.
Brooding and angry, Arnav grabbed Khushi's hand and swept her into the lift; uncaring of the sound of protest she made or the look of complete and utter shock on Tripathi's face. Any second longer and he would have caused lasting damage to that man's face.
As the lift doors closed shut, Khushi tried to wrestle her wrist out of his grasp but Arnav wasn't having any of it.
"Arnav, chodiye hamein."
But Arnav stared straight ahead; the dark, shuttered expression on his face revealing little of the fury that was roiling within.
"Arnav please..."
The lift chimed open to the car park level, its light casting long silhouettes on the cemented floor as the two figures made their way to the white SUV in the corner. Or rather, one was fumbling over her feet as the other dragged her across the level.
Puzzled and uncertain of what to make of his behaviour, Khushi tried to persuade Arnav to let go of her hand. But to no avail.
"Arnav, stop it please."
He finally let go of her hand, only to open the passenger door and indicate she move in. Khushi met his gaze heads-on, not moving an inch.
"Go inside", he all but barked.
"No. I'm not going home with you."
"Khushi, just do as I say."
"And why should I listen to you? What is your problem Arnav? I was handling it fine on my own and suddenly you decided to manhandle me all the way to the carpark. What has gotten into you?"
"What has gotten into ME? I should be asking you that question!"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"What's with you and that guy huh?"
"What? Tripathi? What does he have anything to do with your behaviour?"
"He was disturbing you."
"So? I was handling it fine."
"Stop fooling yourself Khushi. You can't always do everything on your own."
A gasp of outrage could be heard echoing across the empty parking lot.
"I can't believe you said that. I don't need to put up with this. I'm going home on my own." She quickly turned back to the direction of the lifts but before she could take one step, she was pulled against a hard, warm chest.
"You will do no such thing" he hissed under his breath, gripping her waist tightly against his frame. Khushi was dumbfounded. She found herself with her hands on his chest, trying to wriggle her way out but he held on to her firmly than ever.
Pissed to the hilt, Khushi growled, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Let me go!"
"And let you get raped by Mr. Tripathi? Not. A. Chance."
Khushi's face of a mixture of disbelief, understanding and exasperation. She ought to feel touched by his concern but she felt slightly annoyed more than anything else.
"Arnav, he is a harmless douche-bag. He wouldn't dare to do anything more than flirt with me, trust me on this."
"I don't trust him." He said simply.
Khushi took in a deep breath. Arnav was just looking out for her best interests as a good friend. He was overprotective of her safety and that wasn't a bad thing. But she counted his behaviour as an overreaction and she had to set that straight.
"Arnav, look I get that. And I appreciate that you are looking out for me. But dragging me across AR is not the answer. I cannot allow you to treat me in that manner."
Immediately, Arnav's hands dropped from her waist to grab both of her hands in his. Looking at the red marks left by his own fingers, his face was filled with remorse.
"I'm so sorry Khushi. I didn't know what I was thinking..."
"I..It's alright, Arnav.." Khushi held her breath as Arnav caressed her wrists with as much delicacy and care as he could possibly manage. He looked completely regretful and Khushi didn't have the heart to hold it against him any longer. Not when she knew he came with good intentions.
The next second took her breath away.
Before she could remove her hands away, Arnav took each hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss on the inside of her wrists. A jolt of electricity filled her veins and shot up her spine. Her breathing became labored and she started to feel her head spin. Arnav, on the other hand, was completely engrossed at massaging light circular motions on her wrists to notice the change in her disposition.
Realizing where she was, Khushi made to tug her hands gently out of Arnav's grasp, immediately bringing her action to his notice. Looking up, he stared into her eyes before he spoke quietly, "I think we should go now."
The car ride back was filled with deep and heavy silence. Khushi couldn't help but glance at his face every now and then but his expression was always the same - drawn and subdued. Halfway into their journey just when Khushi had given up on talking to Arnav, she felt his warm hand rub concentric circles onto her wrist as he drove.
Goosebumps immediately broke out of her skin as she took in the intimate gesture of comfort he was providing her. She didn't know what to make of it. Looking up, she found herself gazing into molten pools of chocolate as he fixed her with an intense stare loaded with meaning. Whatever that meaning was, she couldn't say. But there was no mistaking the intent in his eyes.
When they pulled up at their carpark, Khushi was a jumble of feelings. Promising her poor, overworked heart that she will sort out her feelings later, she turned to Arnav to bid him goodnight. Before she could get a word out, she found herself enveloped in a hug.
Khushi stood there frozen as Arnav buried his nose in her neck.
"Khushi, I.." his voice sounded choked with emotion. Realising that he was losing his nerve, he pulled back to glance at her face. Khushi's eyes were big and wide, staring at him as he regarded her carefully. He reached for the stray tendril that flitted across her face and tucked it tenderly behind her ear. Words escaped him at that moment. He couldn't find the right words to say and so he simply cupped her cheek with one palm; stroking her cheek with his thumb as he grappled with his inability to speak.
Khushi felt like crying. Why was this man confusing her so? Why was he looking so reverently into her eyes as if she was the only person in his world? Why was he showing her what she could not have? Why did he have to be so cruel?
A sob escaped her at that moment and the spell was broken. Arnav was shaken out of his stupor when he saw big, fat tears leak out from the corner of her eyes.
"Khushi, what..."
Khushi ran up the stairs, not waiting for him to finish his question as she wiped away the tears that would not stop. Momentarily baffled, Arnav soon picked up his wits and chased after her.
"Khushi, wait please."
Arnav could hear the pace of her footsteps increase and cursed loudly under his breath. Running up 3-4 steps at a time, Arnav soon caught up with her outside her door.
"Khushi, don't! Please wait, we need to talk..."
But all he could see was Khushi's tear-stained face disappearing behind the door.
~*~
-PMs later-
A/N: First off, my massive apologies for the major delay in my updates, and a huge thank you to all my readers who have been asking me for updates and are still following the story. I hate to proffer excuses but I do owe you an explanation for my tardiness. This year has been a roller-coaster ride of emotion for me in between job interviews, driving lessons and volunteer work. My persistence has finally paid off and now I've finally joined the ranks of the employed! Had to relocate and start all over but this new phase in life is proving to be an adventure already! I want to thank you all for being my constant throughout this time and being a huge source of encouragement.
I understand if many of you have lost interest in this ficlet, what with the irregular updates. Whilst I can't promise you regular updates, what I can assure you is that I plan to finish this story to completion. This story will not go unfinished. My characters won't allow me to do that!
Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you find this update as enjoyable as the rest.
Happy Diwali to all!
xxx Li
**Setting the Scene post updated below!
PS: I wrote another fanfic a while back called 'Young & Beautiful'. Do check that out if you like!
PSS: If you would like to receive PMs, please 'buddy' me and like thefirst post (https://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3495147&PID=78670731�) on this thread. I'll just PM whoever is on that post. It makes it easier for me to keep track. Otherwise, I'm happy for you to stalk :)
PSSS: I don't actually have some of you on my buddy list. So if you would like me to send you PMs, please make sure to buddy me as well as like the first post (link provided above). Makes sending PMs much easier for me.
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